Ed Wickham is a man who believes that when life deals you lemons, you make lemonade.As an infant, he contracted strep throat and a temperature of 108 degrees, which affected the speech center of his brain.”Many people think I am deaf because of my speech but my hearing is fine,” Wickham said. “I had many years of speech therapy and have always considered it my responsibility to communicate effectively.”Communication is not a problem for Wickham, having spent 31 years in the high-tech industry, the last 25 as an employee with Hewlett Packard before a lay off in early 2002.”It was actually a relief to be told (he was no longer employed),” Wickham said. “Every few weeks notices would go out, and it was nerve-racking to keep thinking “Am I next?”Wickham had always wanted to be self-employed, but a steady paycheck and benefits trumped his desire to pursue owning his own business.”Stability is important while raising a family,” Wickham said. He and his wife, Jean, married in 1971 and have lived in Falcon for 23 years. Daughters Kim and Shannon are graduates of Falcon High School.With his two daughters grown and retirement several years off, Wickham saw his job loss as an opportunity.”Jean and I started looking at what the needs of Falcon were and got it down to car care and food places like groceries or restaurants,” Wickham said. “I had no desire to run a restaurant or grocery so we settled on car care.” Wickham then started looking at auto repair franchises that would offer training and support, yet allow him to make his own business decisions based on customer needs.”Meineke was a perfect fit,” Wickham said. They purchased land on McLaughlin Road and attended a month of training in Charlotte, N.C., before opening the doors on Aug. 8, 2003.”Meineke believes in treating customers honestly and fairly, which is exactly how Jean and I feel, too,” Wickham said. Meineke has guidelines that franchise owners must follow for brand-name consistency, but control over the business is left up to the individual owners.Wickham also attends training updates twice a year.”Learning what you can and cannot work on is the biggest challenge,” Wickham said. Many people do not understand their vehicle warrantees, he said. Wickham has no problem telling his customers with cars under warranty that their dealer will repair the car without a charge.”It’s not giving up business, it’s just being honest and building up our reputation,” he said. “Referrals are important to most businesses, but in auto repair it’s critical.”The Wickhams have three employees: two mechanics and one office person. They are thinking of bringing on another mechanic sometime in the spring of 2006. Car repair is seasonal with many people, he said. Vacation time is the busiest season at Falcon Meineke.”We schedule appointments now,” Wickham said. When the business first opened, it was a first come, first serve basis.Wickham is pleased with the growth of Falcon as a business owner but sad on a personal level.”As a long-time resident, I hated to see it come,” Wickham said. He also strongly believes that Falconites should seriously look at incorporation. “I am a firm believer in deciding one’s own fate,” he said. “While not probable now, Colorado Springs will eventually find the tax base in Falcon attractive and seek annexation. I think we would get the tax bill without the services.”No matter the future, Ed and Jean Wickham said Meineke will continue to service the area for years to come.
